Monday, December 10, 2007

PA Healthcare Lobby Efforts from Chuck P

If you haven't done so already, please contact the following Members of the Health and Human Services Committee of the House of Representatives. Tell them you appreciate their co-sponsoring House Bill 1660, the "Family and Business Healthcare Security Act" and also their pushing for hearings on HB 1660 at the earliest possible moment.

Yours in unity,

Chuck Pennacchio
____________________________________________

Health & Human Services

Oliver, Frank Louis, Chairman
Seip, Tim, Secretary
Myers, John, Subcommittee Chairman on Human Services
Pashinski, Eddie Day, Subcommittee Chairman on Drugs and Alcohol
Wheatley, Jake, Subcommittee Chairman on Health
Kenney, Jr.,George T., Chairman
Benninghoff, Kerry A., Subcommittee Chairman on Human Services
Reichley, Douglas G. , Subcommittee Chairman on Health
Sonney, Curtis G., Subcommittee Chairman on Drugs and Alcohol

Bishop, Louise Williams
Cruz, Angel
Curry, Lawrence H.
Kirkland, Thaddeus
Manderino, Kathy
McIlvaine Smith, Barbara
Mundy, Phyllis
Payton, Jr.,Tony J.
Shimkus, Frank Andrews
Smith, Ken
Waters, Ronald G.
Cutler, Bryan
Gingrich, Mauree
Kauffman, Rob W.
Mackereth, Beverly
McIlhattan, Fred
Ross, Chris
Taylor, John
True, Katie
Watson, Katharine M.



FAMILY & BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SECURITY ACT
SENATE BILL 300 - HOUSE BILL 1660

#1 Visit our website at http://healthcare4allpa.org to learn more and to educate others.
#2 Lobby your State Legislators using the talking points below. Find your representative at: http://healthcare4allpa.org/legislators.htm
#3 Write letters to the editor, using the talking points below.
#4 Donate $10, $25, $50 – whatever you can – to our volunteer, citizen-centered education and lobbying effort: http://healthcare4allpa.org/donate.htm
#5 Circulate a petition and return it to us:
http://healthcare4allpa.org/documents/petition_s.pdf


Talking points:
1.4 million Pennsylvanians have no health insurance. Millions more are underinsured. Untold thousands more think they have good coverage until the corporate-run insurance company rejects their claim based on technicalities, "pre-existing" conditions—or denies life-saving procedures arbitrarily defined as "experimental."
We are left with a system that delivers reduced preventive care; delayed treatment; difficulty seeing specialists; costly co-pays & deductibles, and caps on treatment costs.
Single-payer universal healthcare replaces the "Medical-Industrial-Complex" of corrupt insurance companies and their allies with a simple plan using existing State and Federal funds, a 3% earnings tax and a 10% business payroll tax (a huge savings for most individuals and employers). The outcome would be an improved Medicare-For-All system of publicy-funded, priavtely-provided universal healthcare.
Once Pennsylvania demonstrates to the nation what 87 countries have already discovered, single-payer universal healthcare will become national policy along the lines of Congressman John Conyers' HR 676. Congressman Conyers made this point precisely when he came to Pennsylvania in April to endorse the "Family and Business Healthcare Security Act."
Over 100 Pennsylvania State Legislators have had discussions with Health Care for All Pennsylvania, and nearly half of them have signed up as co-sponsors.

As the only statewide single-payer campaign in the nation with bills before the House and the Senate, as well as the commitment of our Governor to sign the legislation upon reaching his desk, Pennsylvania is stands to lead the nation out of this crisis, much as we did in 1776.

Consider:
• Administrative costs for greedy insurance companies exceed 30% of the cost of healthcare compared to just 3% for Medicare. (This step would save Pennsylvania taxpayers 6-7 billion dollars.)
• The U.S. already spends double what most industrialized
countries spend per person on healthcare.
• 18,000 Americans die annually from being uninsured.
• Thousands of the insured die from services denied or
delayed by insurance companies.
• Life expectancy in the U.S. is among the shortest in the
industrialized world.
• Infant mortality rate in the U.S. is among the highest in the industrialized world. Only Latvia is worse.
• We pay far more per person than any other country.
• Approximately 50% of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. relate directly to medical bills.

Senate Bill 300
House Bill 1660

YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. So act now and spread the word. Remember, we have the economic (savings, efficiency, competitiveness), moral (lives saved and enhanced), and democratic (65% of citizens want it) high grounds. Now we need to put our citizen power to work and demand single-payer universal healthcare!

Thanks for all you do.

Yours in unity,
Chuck
Chuck Pennacchio, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Health Care for All Pennsylvania
Chuck@HealthCare4ALLPA.org


HEALTHCARE FOR ALL PENNSYLVANIA
For more information, or to make a contribution, contact:
Health Care for All Pennsylvania
P.O. Box 828
Levittown, PA 19058

http://healthcare4allpa.org

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